


A Time of Rest

by MiladyDragon



Series: Dragon-Verse: Year of the Toclafane [4]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Angst, Dragon-Verse, Dragon/Human Relations, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-13
Updated: 2012-07-13
Packaged: 2017-11-09 21:42:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/458751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiladyDragon/pseuds/MiladyDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Year of the Toclafane is over, and time has been put back to rights.  Jack and Ianto have retreated back to Ddraig Llyn, hoping to heal and move on from that terrible year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the last story in this series. I want to warn for dragon/human relations in this, because Jack is Jack and he doesn't care what a person looks like.

 

**_6 June 2008_ **

 

**_  
_ **

Jack had never felt freer than he did in that moment, riding on the back of his dragon, as they flew toward Ddraig Llyn.  

A year.A year in hell, with only his thoughts and pain and humiliation for company.It had been thoughts of Ianto that had kept him sane and grounded, even as he did his best to look after the Joneses and tried to keep the Master’s attention on himself so they wouldn’t suffer as much.

But now, he was free. 

The wind whipped strongly around him, and Jack leaned farther over his dragon’s neck in order to keep his eyes from drying out too much.  The ground below them strobed past; he didn’t know how fast they were flying, but it had to have been close to full speed, judging from how quickly the landscape changed.  It didn’t matter; Jack wanted to get to Ddraig Llyn as fast as Ianto did.  He wanted to see his daughter and grandson, and to spend a peaceful moment with his family before they all had to go back to the real world.

Jack also wanted nothing more than to reconnect with his dragon, after that last year of torment.

His arms tightening around that strong neck, Jack closed his eyes and let his body absorb the heat that his dragon radiated, letting it seep deeply into his bones, hoping it would burn away the ghost pain that was still within him, even though there were no outside wounds.  Jack ached, and just this contact was like a balm to his soul. 

He found himself wanting more.

_Soon_ , he told himself, before letting his mind drift into to comfort his dragon offered just by being that close. 

Jack lost track of time, content to just _be_ , as they flew.  He’d missed Ianto so much during that year; he remembered the time when he’d thought the dragon had died in the Rift storm that had devastated Cardiff, before discovering that he was traveling with Martha and was very much alive.  During that time Jack had been _empty_ , so very empty, and he really had not much memory of anything before realizing that the Master needed to be distracted from the Joneses once more.  But there had been such a rent in his soul where he now knew his dragon had taken up residence…it had swallowed him whole. 

If Jack had had any real doubts that he and Ianto were meant to be together, they had died in that moment.

And their words on the _Valiant_ …Jack knew they’d come from the dreams he’d had of their mating.  It seemed almost appropriate, that they’d pledged themselves to each other after that year of being separated, even though it had been over the very creature that had torn them – and the world – apart.  Jack would insist on another form of ceremony later, once things were settled a bit.   He truly wanted to be mated, and he would make sure that would happen.

Jack wanted to spend eternity with his dragon.  Nothing was going to stand in the way of that, he vowed.

A sudden change in flight angle brought Jack out of his thoughts, and he opened his eyes…to see Ddraig Llyn spread out beneath him.  He hadn’t been back to the valley since he’d met Ianto all those years ago, and he hadn’t been on dragon-back at that time…the difference in perspective was amazing.  Jack sat up a little, squinting against the wind, and just drank in the sight.  The place exuded a peacefulness that Jack craved, almost as much as he craved closeness with his family…and his dragon. 

By the time they’d landed on the village green, the entire populace had come out to meet them.  Jack clambered down from the dragon’s back, basking in the welcome he was receiving.  Everyone here knew what had happened to him, and they greeted him with an honor that he wasn’t certain he deserved. 

“Dad!”

His heart leaped at the call.  Turning in the direction of that voice, he barely had a chance to open his arms before Alice was hugging him fiercely, even more fiercely than she had on the _Valiant_.   He returned it, thanking whatever deities he could think of for bringing Alice back to him. 

The last year might have been horrible, but it had regained him his family.  Jack was determined never to lose them again.

A third set of arms, and then a fourth, were wound around him, cocooning him in love and warmth.  Jack let himself fall into that security, accepting it like a penitent asking for forgiveness.

Only in this case, there really was nothing to forgive.

Jack was home.  Finally, he was home.

Once again he lost track of time, wrapped up in comfort.  He’d missed this…a simple embrace.  The only touch he’d had over the last year had brought pain; this brought safety and love.   Jack relaxed completely, for the first time in what felt like forever.

Eventually though, the group hug broke apart, and Jack found himself within a circle of the dearest people in his life…including Estelle.  He broke into a grin.  “What are you doing here?” he exclaimed. 

“We’ll explain everything,” Ianto said, now in his human form.  “Let’s go somewhere more comfortable.”

There was also John Ellis, who actually stopped him and embraced Jack, whispering his welcome into Jack’s ear.  He was one of Torchwood’s successes, and Jack had once despaired of the time-lost man, but being in the valley had obviously helped him. 

He thanked John, and then moved on, Alice draping one arm around his waist as Steven tugged him forward by a hand.  Ianto held the other hand, twining his fingers with Jack’s, and Estelle walked beside the dragon, looking as serene as Jack had ever seen her. 

_“Welcome home, son.”_

The procession stopped, and they turned in concert with Jack and he faced the Great Dragons, who had materialized just off the green.  They were much more solid than they’d been on the _Valiant_ , and each of them was smiling.

“Thank you,” Jack said sincerely. 

_“You have no need to thank us,”_ the Water Dragon spoke again.  _“It is we who must thank you, for what you have done over the year that no one but those here will remember.”_

“But I do,” Jack insisted, tightening his grip on his loved ones.  “You saved my family.  You brought them here, and protected them.”

_“They are our family as well,”_ the Air Dragon said, looking at Alice and then back to Jack.  _‘There was no choice in the matter but to bring them here to safety, and they were also of great help in protecting this valley and whoever outside this place that they could.”_

_“Rest awhile here,”_ the Earth Dragon replied.  _“You have all been through too much, and have need of peace.  All too soon the outside world will call you back to it, but before that occurs heal yourselves as much as you can.  Be well, children.  Nothing can harm you here.”_

With those parting words, the Dragon faded.  Jack sighed, a smile tugging at his lips.  Yes, that was what he needed…a chance to heal, to be among people he loved more than anything. 

Yes, he did wish the rest of the team was there, but Jack trusted them to look after Cardiff until he and Ianto returned.  For now, he would stay with his family, and rest.

“C’mon Dad, Ianto,” Alice urged.  “Rhiannon practically has a feast prepared.  We don’t want it to get cold.”

Ianto looked at her sharply.  “And what happened with you calling me Dad as well?”

Jack stared at his daughter.  She’d been calling Ianto ‘Dad’?

Alice blushed faintly, but she laughed.  “In dragon-form, you’re Dad.  When you’re human, you’re Ianto.  I don’t think I could get past saying that to someone who looks like…well, my much younger brother, or something.”

It had been one of the reasons Alice had often called Jack by his name: the notion that he wasn’t aging at all, and seemed on the outside to be too young to have had a child her age.  Jack couldn’t blame her for it at all. 

Ianto rolled his eyes.  “So, you have no problem with calling a dragon – who isn’t human – your father but not me?  Alice, has anyone ever told you that sometimes you don’t make a lot of sense?”

Did Alice just stick her tongue out at Ianto?

Jack couldn’t help it; he laughed, a deep, hard laugh that came from his belly, and it felt absolutely wonderful.

 

**********

 

Rhiannon had really gone all out, food spreading over three entire tables in the Inn’s restaurant.  As hungry as Jack was, he ate slowly and carefully, not used to having a lot on his stomach.   He sat with Ianto on one side, Alice on the other; Steven was being kept busy by Rhiannon’s two children, whom according to Alice Steven had struck up a close friendship with. 

She also explained that Steven knew now that Jack was his grandfather, and not his uncle.  Jack was stunned at the complete about-face Alice had made, but she’d explained that she’d learned quite a bit about him from the other Dragon-Friends and Estelle, and it had given her a perspective that she had not had just from the stories her mother had told.  She admitted that there would be times when they would most likely not see eye-to-eye, but Jack knew that was to be expected.

Ianto told him that he’d asked Toshiko and Kathy to bring Estelle with them when the Great Dragons had called them all to Ddraig Llyn.  Estelle had joined them, and the three of them told Jack of what they’d been up to over the past year.  The day passed quickly as they shared their lives, and while some of what they told him was harrowing, he couldn’t help but simply enjoy the closeness he had between these three who were so dear to him. 

“I think I’m going to stay in Ddraig Llyn for a while,” Estelle admitted, relaxing back into the chair she’d taken after their meal, Moses sprawled out across her lap, purring so loudly Jack could hear him from the sofa he, Ianto, and Alice had claimed. They were relaxing in the Inn’s lounge, everyone else leaving them alone.  “There’s so much I want to learn, and Rhiannon and the Great Dragons have offered to help me.”

It should have surprised Jack more that Estelle had turned out to be some sort of magic user – simply because of his stance about magic actually existing – but for some reason it seemed quite natural for his former lover to be gifted that way.  Estelle had always been close to nature, and that was even without the contact she’d had with the Fairies.  He remembered seeing all the crystals and books she’d had, and felt ashamed that he’d scoffed at her beliefs.

“Steven and I have a life back in Cardiff,” Alice said.“I took time off from work when the Air Dragon called me here, and I have the whole of next week before I have to head home.”She sighed.  “It’s going to feel strange going back to our regular lives, after what happened over the previous year…which hasn’t been a year for anyone else.”




“That’s going to be the hardest,” Ianto agreed.  “Knowing everything we went through, but the rest of the world has no real idea what the Master had done.  As far as anyone else is concerned, Saxon assassinated the American President and was then killed by Winters’ Secret Service Agents.  The Toclafane were just a hoax to get the President here.  At least, that’s the story UNIT is going to put out.”

Jack had approved that story as well before they’d left the _Valiant_ ; it made the most sense of what had actually occurred.   “At least our team knows,” he said, taking Ianto’s hand and squeezing it. 

“Everyone but Gwen,” Ianto corrected.

“You’re not going to tell her?”  Estelle asked.

Jack shook his head.  “It’s better this way.  She can still have that innocence, of not knowing what the Master had done to the world.  I don’t want this hell on her conscience; it’s bad enough Ianto, Tosh, and Owen know.”

“And don’t forget about Kathy,” the dragon reminded.  “She might not be Torchwood, but she’s as much family as anyone else…especially now that she and Tosh have gotten together.”

Jack started, knowing that he had to look stupid with his mouth hanging open in shock.“What?Our Toshiko and Detective Inspector Swanson?”He was stunned by that revelation.It was quite possibly one of the last things he’d expected.




Alice laughed.  “Tosh said you’d be surprised.  But yes, they’re a couple now.”

“Well,” Jack grinned, suddenly very happy for his technician…and for himself, knowing that spark of jealousy that would always rear its head when Ianto and Swanson went out to eat together wouldn’t be there anymore…or it may be, but he could ignore it now.  “If anyone deserves to be happy, it’s Toshiko.”  After her inadvisable infatuation with Owen, and then the events with Mary, it was about time Toshiko found someone who could be good for her.  “I guess this means I need to give Kathy the Talk…”

Alice rolled her eyes.  “Maybe I should have let you do that with Joe.  You might have scared him off.”

“Next time you gain a significant other, send them my way,” Jack teased.  He knew that Alice really didn’t mean it; if he had been around when she’d been dating Joe Carter, and had scared him off, then Steven would never have been born.  And, if there was one thing Jack knew for a fact, was that Alice wouldn’t have traded her son for anything.

They talked all day, and into the night, Jack enjoying the conversation even if some of the events were terrible.  There were laughs though, as Ianto talked about some of the people he and Martha had met, and some of the things they’d seen.  But there was also the horrific mixed in with the good, and Jack shared a bit of what had also happened to him, although some of it had already been known to Alice and Estelle, from the few broadcasts the Master had made.  Still, it helped to talk about it, and by the time Jack was yawning he felt as if a great weight had lifted from him. 

He hoped it would only get better from then on.

The moment Ianto saw the first yawn, he was chivvying Jack up from the sofa, and bidding their family good night.  Jack didn’t argue, instead hugging both Alice and Estelle and promising to talk more tomorrow.  Steven had long ago gone to bed, and Jack’s heart had warmed when the boy had called him ‘Granddad’. 

“Rhiannon had my old cave cleared and stocked with plenty of pillows and blankets,” Ianto explained, tugging Jack gently toward the outside. 

Jack stopped him, wrapping his arms around Ianto tightly.  “There’s nothing I’d like more than to sleep beside you,” he whispered.  It had been a long time since Jack had actually slept, and he was looking forward to simply curling up with his dragon for the night.  He wasn’t even looking for sex; that would come later, but for now he just wanted the intimacy of sleeping with his mate once more.

Ianto stepped out of the embrace, his human form glowing and morphing before Jack’s eyes.Within seconds he’d climbed back onto the dragon’s back, and they were flying once more over the valley, this time with only the stars and the waxing moon overhead to light their way.Once again Jack felt incredible freedom, and he whooped with joy as they soared together.  He could feel more than hear the dragon laughing as a rumbling against his legs, and Jack joined in, for once not worried about the wind and throwing his arms out wide, using his knees to keep his grip on Ianto’s sides.




He was free. 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

**_7 June 2008_ **

 

****

Jack awoke, feeling warm and comfortable, and not wanting to move.  He was surrounded by his dragon’s heat, back against hard yet silky scales and his head resting on a supporting foreleg.  A wing covered him better than the finest duvet, keeping him hidden from the rest of the world.

Last night had been rough, but Ianto had been there with him as the nightmares had come, soothing him with quiet dragonsong when he’d been driven awake by the terrors that had visited him in his dreams.  Jack could feel the dragon’s massive lungs expanding against his back, and he sighed, relaxing even further into the knowledge that is mate was with him, and that nothing was going to hurt him in their cave.

“Are you awake now?”

The wing rustled slightly, and a pair of slitted blue eyes appeared in the sudden opening, smiling down at Jack softly.  “Good morning,” the dragon said.

“Good morning,” Jack said back.  He reached up a hand, and the large head was lowered so he could stroke the strong jaw.  Ianto’s eyes shuttered closed, a contented expression on his features.

“I missed you,” the dragon whispered, hot breath puffing over Jack’s palm.

“You kept me sane,” Jack confessed, running his fingertips over the fine green scales.  “Thinking of you…it kept me from going crazy.”  He didn’t say anything about the time he’d thought that his dragon was dead; that was far too painful. 

“All I wanted to do was come for you,” the dragon replied.  “Every day that you remained the Master’s prisoner broke me a little but more.  And when I saw you…” 

A tear slipped out from under the dragon’s closed eyelid, and Jack brushed it away.  “It’s going to be okay,” he said.  “We’re finally together, and nothing is going to tear us apart.”

The dragon opened his eyes, and the love in them took Jack’s breath away.  “Nothing, Jack.  I swear to you.  Nothing will take me away from you.”

Jack believed him.

 

**********

 

The dragon managed to chivvy Jack out of their nest and down the mountain, where Rhiannon had breakfast waiting.  Alice and Steven joined them, as did Estelle, and it was a lively meal that had Jack relaxing even farther, the previous year fading more and more the closer he and his family became.  He hadn’t even known what he was missing until he had it, and he would hold onto this moment of time fiercely in his memory.

After breakfast and some of Ianto’s amazing coffee – which Jack had missed, although not nearly as much as he’d missed his dragon – he noticed Rhiannon whispering in Ianto’s ear, and the dragon nodded  then following her into the Inn’s kitchen.  Frowning slightly, Jack went to follow…and Estelle cut him off, a definitely mischievous look in her eyes.  “So, Jack,” she said, resting her hand on his arm, “I wanted to ask, if you and Ianto would keep an eye on my house while I’m here?  I don’t know how long I’m going to stay, and I don’t want any sort of disasters happening and then not being found for weeks at a time.”

“We’ll be glad to,” he reassured her.  Estelle had lived in the same house for decades, and he knew how much she loved the place despite the trouble with the Fae. 

She smiled up at him.  “Thank you, I appreciate it.”  She moved away, leaving Jack to head back toward the kitchen in search of his dragon.

“Dad!” Alice called, and Jack turned to wait for her.  She was smiling slyly, and Jack wondered just what she was up to. 

“What is it, sweetheart?” he asked as she approached.

“Nothing,” she answered, “I just wanted you to know that Ianto went outside.”

Jack frowned.  “I could have sworn he went into the kitchen…”

She shrugged nonchalantly.  “All I can say is he told me to tell you he’d be outside.”

“Thanks, Alice.”  He kissed her on the forehead, and then went in search of his wayward mate.

His daughter had been correct; Ianto was out on the lawn, already having changed back into his true form.  Laughing eyes turned to look at him, beckoning him forward. 

Jack looked at him askance as he joined his mate.  “Just what are you up to?” he asked.

He saw the answer in the shape of a rather large basket sitting on the ground between the dragon’s front feet. 

“Today is for us,” the dragon answered.  “I know a deserted place where we can spend the entire day, just the two of us.  We need to reconnect, and this is our time.”

Jack found himself wanting that more than anything.

He swung himself up onto the dragon’s back, and they were in the air, arching over the lake that had given the valley its name.  The water was a crystal blue beneath them, and the sun was warm on Jack’s back as together they flew toward the mountains and away from the village. 

Jack wondered where they were going, but he was certain Ianto knew more private places in the valley than anyone, having lived there for so long.  He really wanted to spend alone time with his mate, and he wrapped his arms around the sinuous neck as they flew, happy to have this time alone with the dragon he loved.

They seemed to reach their destination in no time: a secluded dell, with large boulders on two sides, a mountain on the third, and a gentle slope leading down toward the lake on the third.  The dragon came in for a landing, careful of the basket that he was carrying hooked in one of his claws.  Once he’d set it down out of the way, he settled all the way onto the ground, and Jack slid off, looking around the clearing with interest.

“I would come here often when I was younger,” the dragon explained, “when I would want to privacy from my family.  Later, this was a refuge for me, when the demands of being among humans became too great.  It’s a wonderful place for swimming, and for sunbathing on the rocks.”

Jack grinned.  “Swimming sounds wonderful, but I didn’t bring any swim trunk with me.”

The dragon rolled his eyes.  “Like it’s not something I haven’t seen before.”

That brought a bubble of laughter from deep within Jack, and as it burst forth he quickly stripped off his clothes.  He clambered up onto a rock outcropping that extended over the water, and he glanced back, asking silently if it was all right to dive.

The nod barely came before Jack was hitting the water.

It was cold at first, but Jack soon warmed up as he swam deeper and deeper, the water a clear blue.  He could see a deep drop-off not that far offshore, and was stroking closer when a large school of fish swam up from the depths, startling him.  He laughed internally as he turned toward the surface, breaking for air and finding himself about one hundred yards away from the bank, not realizing he’d swum that far.

The dragon was nowhere to be seen.

Jack was going to head to shore in order to find him, when a sudden surge lifted  him up into the air, and it took him a second to realize that his mate was surfacing from underneath him, and he laughed as he rose higher, supported by the familiar, warm body.   Throwing out his arms, they wrapped around the dragon’s neck, and let himself be dragged back onshore.




He flopped down onto the grass, taking in a deep breath.  “Did you take lessons from Nessie or something?” Jack teased.  “Your imitation of a lake monster is spot-on.”

Ianto snorted, settling his large body down next to Jack’s.  “I’ve been doing it longer than she has!  Besides, you know Archie’s been training her especially to scare the tourists.”

Jack laughed again, feeling light and happy for the first time in so very long.  The sun was warm against his bare skin, and he closed his eyes, relaxing into the coolness of the grass.

He had no idea how long he lay there, his mind just floating, peace surrounding him like a comfortable blanket.  Jack thought he could stay there forever, just him and his dragon, and never go back to Cardiff and the real world.

And then he realized that his duty would always call him, and he would listen to that call.

But he also realized that he’d always have Ianto with him, and that would make everything all right.

After a while, Jack rolled over and onto his feet.  He took in his dragon, sprawled out on the grass on his side, eyes closed, and breathing deeply in repose.  He looked like some sort of enormous green cat, loose-limbed and soaking up the sun.

His heart swelled, and he knew beyond a doubt that he would love Ianto forever, that he wanted to spend all the time he had with his dragon, and nothing would change that.

“You’re staring at me,” Ianto murmured, not opening his eyes.

“I thought you were asleep.”

“Almost,” came the drowsy reply.

Jack moved closer, kneeling beside the dragon’s large head.  “You know I really love you, don’t you?

Now one eye did open, and it regarded him fondly.“I do, Jack. And you know I feel the same way.”




He reached out, stroking along the dragon’s jaw, tiny scales there supple against his fingertips.  Ianto hummed in pleasure, nuzzling Jack’s fingers gently, his eyes closing once more. 

Jack continued touching, moving from jaw back toward the ear slot, and then around under the dragon’s neck.  Ianto lifted his head, giving Jack’s questing fingers better access, and he took the invitation, his hand following along the gradually larger scales, lightly brushing along the curve of the neck.




“I want to touch you,” Jack whispered.

“I thought you were already doing that,” the dragon sighed.

“I mean, I want to touch you…every part of you, just as you are now.”

He felt the dragon shiver.  The eyes opened again, regarding him closely.  “I can transform –“

Jack shushed him.  “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time, but we just never did.  I know your human form…now I want to know your dragon form as well.  Please…let me?”

“You don’t even have to ask.”

It was Jack’s turn to shiver.  He’d been with non-humans before; in fact, he’d often bragged about tentacles and multiple genders and other exotic sexual experiences, but this would be the first time he’d ever made love to Ianto in his dragon form.  He knew he wouldn’t be able to do much beyond using his hands, but he could give as much pleasure as possible, which was his only goal.

He wanted to show the dragon just how much he meant to Jack, and that was accepting his natural form as well.

Jack continued to touch and explore, and Ianto turned slightly, exposing his belly.  For some reason, that small movement sent a jolt of arousal straight through Jack, and he took the invitation, running hands down the dragon’s shoulders and across his chest, making note of the noises coming from Ianto, committing to memory the places where the dragon was most sensitive, wringing sighs and moans from his mate that were music to Jack’s ears. 

The scales on Ianto’s chest became larger the lower his hand traveled, and were a lighter green as well.  Jack knew that the dragon’s chest and stomach were the most heavily protected areas of his body, and yet they also seemed to be the more responsive, and as his hands moved lower his mate’s breathing became shallower.

 Jack was growing more and more turned on the more aroused Ianto became.  He began pressing kisses against the hard plate armor covering the dragon’s chest, tonguing across the smooth scales.  Jack could taste the cleanliness of the lake water on those slick plates, and a spiciness he could not identify, but it drove him onward, wanting to experience even more. 

“ _Jack_ ,” the dragon whispered, the name laden with such want that it almost made Jack come then and there.

He continued on, touching with hands and lips and tongue, moving lower and lower on the dragon’s pliant body, until he found himself at Ianto’s groin.  Jack knew that his penis was protected by a pair of thick armored plates that slid back to give access; those plates had done just that, and the cock that stood erect there was very impressive indeed.

Jack’s hands itched to stroke, and he let his instincts guide him, running his palms along the heated length.  The flesh was a very pale green, longer than Jack’s forearm and much thicker, without the foreskin a human penis would have; the head was slightly more triangular, and it was already leaking pre-come.   Jack couldn’t resist tasting.

An intense shudder passed through his lover as Jack’s tongue licked into the slit, the dragon’s salty essence exploding in Jack’s mouth.  It was addictive, and he wanted more, pressing his lips as far around the tip as he could, sucking hard in order to get every bit he could.

The soft keen he heard spurred Jack on.

Keeping one hand on the dragon’s cock in order to hold it still, Jack trailed his other down over the protruding scales and toward Ianto’s entrance.  His mate whimpered, sliding his tail out of the way of Jack’s questing touch, allowing him to run the palm of his hand over the quivering hole.

There was a vague disappointment in Jack that he wouldn’t be able to play with Ianto’s balls, with them being under all that hard armor, but that didn’t last long as his ministrations sent his mate into a frenzy of cries, Jack’s name sounding like a prayer as Jack licked and sucked and rubbed and touched.  The noises Ianto was making drove Jack wild, his own erection heavy and throbbing, but he didn’t want to stop what he was doing in order to bring himself off. 

And then, the dragon began to sing.

It was a soft song, and while Jack didn’t understand what he was saying, the emotions were clear: it was a song of love, and bonding, and pleasure, and it filled Jack with a heat that had nothing to do with arousal, and yet the song added to it, bringing him closer to the edge even as he took his dragon with him.  The sense of connection he felt grew, and Jack let himself simply _feel_ as he brought his mate to completion.

He had to back away slightly when Ianto came, hot come nearly scalding as what he couldn’t catch in his mouth struck Jack’s face and chest.  The very feel and taste of it sent Jack spiraling to his own orgasm, and he gasped Ianto’s name even as the dragon called Jack’s in his pleasure. 

Jack came down from the emotional and physical high, and carefully tucked his dragon’s penis back under its protective armor.  He looked up, finding blue eyes looking at him, hazy with love and desire.  “No one has ever touched _me_ like that,” he admitted, the emphasis on ‘me’ letting Jack know exactly what he meant.

He put on a cocky grin.  “So, I was your first as a human, as a man…and a dragon?”

Ianto rolled his eyes.  “Don’t ruin the moment, Jack.”

That leer faded into something more intimate.  “Never,” he murmured, scooting forward enough to reach out and touch the dragon’s cheek.

“Do I need to help you?” his mate asked.

Jack felt himself blushing…which was something he didn’t do often.  “No need.  I came just from touching you…and the noises you were making.”  And the song…

“Let’s get cleaned up, and then maybe we can think of another round…this time with me as a human,” the dragon suggested.  “I really want to touch _you_ this time.”

Jack became aware of the cooling semen on his upper body, and nodded.  “Last one in the water gets to bottom!” he exclaimed, laughing as he launched himself toward the lake.

It didn’t really didn’t matter who hit the water first.


	3. Chapter 3

 

**_14 June 2008_ **

 

****

The week went by quickly…almost too quickly.

Jack couldn’t recall the last time he’d actually had a vacation, and this was as close to one as he could think of.  He spent all of his time with his family, and his mate, just relaxing and letting the events of that horrible year fade into the back of his mind.  It didn’t all go away, and Jack knew it would be a long time before he fully recovered, but he had the love and support of those around him, and it made the burden a bit easier to bear.

He wasn’t the only one with bad memories.  There were a couple of nights where he would be awakened by Ianto’s sharp movements, and Jack had simply taken his large head into his lap, stroking the fine scales until the nightmare passed.  Helping Ianto made Jack feel a bit less needy the times when he’d come out of the murkiness of restless sleep to hear a soft song whispering around him.

They kept in touch with Toshiko, calling her every day.  Ianto had bemoaned the fact that the technician had taken all the computer gear that she’d used over that year back to the Hub, wanting to download every piece of information she’d gathered into Torchwood’s mainframe for posterity.  The dragon had claimed they would have been able to keep track of what was going on back in Cardiff with that gear, to which Jack had simply rolled his eyes and had asked his mate if he’d always been this controlling or was this something new he’d just discovered.

Ianto had sniffed and hadn’t deigned to comment.

That Friday morning they all met for breakfast, as they had every morning.  Alice had decided that she and Steven were going back to Cardiff that day, and had offered Jack and Ianto a ride back. Toshiko and Owen weren’t expecting them back until Saturday, and Kathy was helping out as she could, being a working copper and all.  According to Toshiko the Rift had been unbelievably quiet, but Jack wasn’t surprised; even though the paradox had been reversed, the Rift was still a time/space event, and it had been drained by the storms that had destroyed Cardiff due to the twisting and tearing of the paradox.  It would take a bit to recharge, and then they would be swamped.  There was no real telling how long that would take.

“It’s going to feel strange going back to work Monday,” Alice said, taking a sip of coffee.  She made an indecent noise; like father, like daughter, at least when it came to Ianto’s coffee.  “I’m not sure I even remember what my job is!”

Ianto nodded in understanding.“It’s a good thing Jack stores his passcodes in his wrist strap, or else he’d be locked out of the Hub.”




“Hey!” Jack exclaimed.  “I thought you said you didn’t like me doing that!”

The dragon rolled his eyes good-naturedly.  “I think I might make an exception in this case.  After all, we can’t all have a memory as good as mine.”

“And I suppose you know what your passcodes are after a year?”

Jack wanted to laugh at Ianto’s look of indignation.  “Of course I do.”

Alice snorted into her coffee mug.  “He’s got you there, Dad.”

Jack pouted.  “Even my daughter is ganging up with the dragon against me.”

“That’s because the dragon is awesome,” Ianto said primly.   Jack wondered how Ianto could keep a straight face, since that caused the entire table to crack up.

“Steven and I expect you and Ianto to come over for dinner some time, Dad,” Alice said after the hilarity had subsided. 

Jack’s heart warmed at the invitation.  “Rift willing, count on it.”

She looked at him seriously.“And I don’t want the pair of you to be so overwhelmed that you completely forget you have family, okay?”




He opened his mouth to deny it would happen, but Jack realized that, quite possibly, it would at some point.  He and Ianto are creatures of duty, and it would inevitably take over their lives once more.  It was the way they were, and they would need pushing in order to change.

Jack returned Alice’s look.  “I’m going to count on you to keep us grounded, okay?  If you don’t hear from one of us at least every other week, then you call us.  I don’t want to lose contact with you or Steven ever again.”

Alice looked floored, but then a large smile graced her features.  “Count on it, Dad.”

“I will.”  He returned the smile, feeling as if his relationship with his daughter was finally back on the track it needed to be.  And it had only taken the near-ending of the world to do it.

 

**********

 

The trip back to Cardiff was an enjoyable one, although there was an undertone of seriousness that Jack knew had more to do with moving on that anything else.  The last year had changed them all, and it didn’t feel quite right going back to normality when they themselves were no longer normal.

It would be harder for Alice and Steven than it would be for Ianto and Jack himself; they were used to dealing with strange.  But Alice had a life that didn’t include the bizarre…unless you count having a father who couldn’t die, and Jack hadn’t been a part of her life for a long time.  She was having to go back into that life denying what she’d been through for a year that no longer existed, and it would be hard for her.  As for Steven…well, children adapted better than adults, and he’d been sheltered from a lot of what had occurred.  Alice had been adamant that he not tell any of his friends about Ddraig Llyn, and Steven had said he understood, but Jack could see something eventually slipping.  And, when that happened, he and Ianto would be there to help in any way they could.

Alice dropped them off at Ianto’s house, declining the invitation to come in for a little while.  She wanted to get to their own home, and spend the weekend preparing for her return to work Monday.  It was lucky that Steven was out of school for the summer holidays, so that was one thing she didn’t have to deal with yet.

Colonel Mace had been as good as his word; Ianto’s car was sitting in the driveway.  It had been in London, after Ianto had driven there in order to get into the First Contact press conference.  When everything had gone to hell, he’d simply left his car at the UNIT base, not certain if he would see it again.  Jack had managed to convince Mace to make certain the automobile had gotten back to its rightful owner, and Mace had done it, figuring he owed them something after what had happened.

Once again extracting a promise of dinner, Alice drove away, and Jack watched as her car stopped at the corner and then turned right and out of sight.  He was going to miss them both, since he’d gotten used to having them around, but he vowed he would be better at keeping track of his family in the future.

Jack set one foot inside the house, and knew that he’d finally come full circle.  The last time he’d been here had been the night before the Doctor had arrived.  It had been the last time he’d known peace before that horrible year.  And now, standing in the lounge of the large Victorian that had become his home, Jack felt surrounded by that peace, but it was the peace of the familiar. 

Home would always be where Ianto was…and so, this was his home for as long as Ianto lived there.

“How about a takeaway and a movie?” the dragon asked, reaching for his home phone.  Both of them had lost their mobiles during the last year; Jack would have to remember to reimburse Rhiannon for all the long distance calls he and Ianto had made over the last week.  Getting new phones was number one on their list of getting things back to normal.

“Still have that Chinese place on your speed dial?” Jack hung his coat up on the hat stand near the door, toeing his shoes off.  He’d be glad to get back to his regular clothes, since he’d had to borrow from the villagers in order to have anything decent to put on.  Just wearing trousers without braces was driving him nuts.

Ianto checked.  “I do, yes.  Your usual?”

“Sounds like a plan.”  Jack flopped onto the sofa, sighing in relief.  Things would be hectic tomorrow, but tonight he could have his dragon all to himself.

“Half an hour,” Ianto said, slumping down beside Jack.  He practically curled up into Jack’s side, humming in pleasure.  “Welcome home.”

“It’s good to be home,” Jack answered, looping his arm around Ianto and pulling him closer.  “You have no idea how many times I dreamed of this, just sitting here with you, in our house.”

“I think I do,” the dragon murmured. 

They sat there, and Jack simply enjoyed the contentment he was feeling.  He and Ianto had definitely re-bonded in Ddraig Llyn, but this was different.  This was them, getting back to the familiar, and to their usual lives.

“Should we let everyone know we’re back?” Ianto asked drowsily.

“Why don’t I do that while you go and get dinner?” Jack suggested.  “I also wouldn’t mind a shower and a change of clothes.”

“Hmm…because I’m too comfortable to move?”

“Lazy dragon.”

“But you love me anyway.”

Jack smiled softly.  “Yeah, I guess I do.”

 

**********

 

Ianto chose “Goldfinger” as their after dinner movie, and as much as Jack liked Sean Connery he knew it was to get him back for making the dragon fetch their food.  Jack didn’t mind, although he did playfully tease Ianto about his Bond fixation. 

He never should have gotten Ianto those DVD’s for Christmas…

Goldfinger was just breaking into Fort Knox when the phone rang.

Grumbling, and yet knowing the team wouldn’t be calling unless it was important, Jack shifted Ianto and got up to answer it.

 _“Toshiko said you were back,”_ Kathy Swanson said once he’d picked up.

“Yep, a couple of hours ago,” Jack answered.  He was really glad he didn’t have to be jealous of Ianto and the detective having lunch together anymore, although he’d been pleasantly surprised that she and Toshiko had become a couple.  It did show that Kathy had good taste.

_“I hate to bother you two, but there’s something going on I thought you might want to know about.”_

Jack quickly went into professional mode.  “Something Torchwood related, I take it.”

Ianto put the film on pause, sitting up on the couch and paying attention to Jack’s part of the conversation.  Jack mouthed ‘Kathy Swanson’ and the dragon nodded in understanding.

_“Afraid so.  I know you wanted to have the night off…”_

“It’s fine, Kathy.  What’s going on?”

_“We got a report that a weird fish creature was out joy-riding in a red Chrysler Crossfire through a residential area –“_

A Blowfish.  _Lovely_.

“Was the team called in?” Jack asked.

He could hear Swanson rolling her eyes down the phone line.  _“Of course they were.  But, when I heard that the last known location of the vehicle was about a mile from Jones’ house…”_

“I see your point.”  Even though Jack knew his team could handle it, but Jack was familiar with the area, and the Blowfish could easily endanger innocent civilians if not stopped, some of them Ianto’s neighbors.  Knowing Blowfish the way Jack did, the alien was undoubtedly stoned to its actual gills.   “Thanks, Kathy, for the heads’ up.”

 _“No problem, Harkness,”_ the detective replied.  _“Besides, if Toshiko had to cancel plans with me, then I don’t see why your night had to be blissful.”_ Her tone was teasing.

“Well, we hadn’t actually gotten to the blissful part yet,” Jack leered.

 _“I don’t want to know,”_ Kathy laughed.  _“Now, get your arses out there and catch that whatever the hell it is.  Cardiff’s streets are dangerous enough without adding vehicular homicide by red fish-creature into the mix.”_

“Yes, ma’am!’

_“Don’t be cheeky, Harkness.”_

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Kathy.”

_“God, I don’t know how Jones puts up with you.”_

“It’s my good looks and undeniable charm.”

_“Keep thinking that.”_

Jack chuckled, telling her goodbye and hanging up.  Ianto already had his shoes on, and Jack’s coat was draped over one arm.  “Your spare gun is in the kitchen drawer by the dishwasher.”

He grabbed it, threading the holster onto his belt, enjoying the familiar weight of it against his hip.  Jack was really glad he’d changed into more appropriate clothing; he really didn’t want to chase down a Blowfish in ragged jeans and a pullover.  He just didn’t feel like the Captain without his usual gear. 

He supposed it was a good thing that he hadn’t decided to walk around naked after his shower.

“What do we have?” Ianto asked, holding out the coat.

Jack shrugged it on, reveling in the feel of his dragon’s hands smoothing down the shoulders.  He explained as Ianto retrieved his own gun and car keys.  “I have my PDA in the car, unless UNIT took it,” he dragon said.  “We can track the SUV with it.”

“Brilliant idea,” Jack said.  “What would I do without you?”

“Go racing around the wilds of Cardiff with no clue where you were heading?”

“I did get along just fine with finding my way around Cardiff before you came along, although this way is much more fun.”

Ianto laughed.  “C’mon, Captain.  Let’s go catch up with our team.”

 

**********

 

They found the SUV easily.  It had been parked a bit further from Ianto’s house than Kathy had reported, but it was still a residential area.   

“There were gunshots,” one of the milling women answered, her voice trembling.  She pointed toward one house that was brightly lit.  “They came from in there.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” Ianto said politely.  “Now, if everyone could please disperse, we’ll take of it from here.”

None of the crowd looked happy, but everyone began to withdraw.   From somewhere in the group someone muttered, “Bloody Torchwood,” and Jack couldn’t help but smirk at the irritated tone.

Jack turned to Ianto.  “You go in through the front,” he ordered.  “I’ll take the back.  See if you can find out if the team is all right.”

Ianto nodded, pulling his gun.  He jogged toward the open front door.

Jack headed around the house, his senses alert for anything that didn’t belong.  The Blowfish had to have been inside, quite possibly holding the family who owned the house hostage.  They would have to make certain no one was hurt, and at the same time make certain the Blowfish didn’t get away.

There was a set of French doors leading out from the house and into the back garden.  Jack made his way toward them, and the curtains were parted just enough to give him a good look at the scene within.  The Blowfish had a girl at gunpoint, and it was apparent that he was taunting the team as they stood there, their own guns aimed at the intruder.  Only Owen wasn’t taking part in the impasse; he was kneeling next to a man, who had obviously been shot, and was working over him with his medical kit open next to him.

Jack reached for the door handle; it was locked.  He stifled a curse at the homeowner’s security mindedness, and flipped open his Vortex Manipulator.  Ianto might tease him about keeping only his passcodes in it, but there were still a few functions that worked.

Including the lockpick.

He punched a button, and the door’s lock disengaged with a near-silent click.  Easing the glass door open, Jack caught the end of the Blowfish’s tirade.

“- dare you?” It really was taunting them.  His hostage was whimpering, and Jack knew he would only have one shot at this…

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ianto coming around the corner and into the lounge area.  He caught Jack’s eye, and Owen must have also noticed something, because he looked up from the first aid he was performing and did a double-take.  Jack couldn’t miss the grin that curled the medic’s lips upward.

Toshiko stood with her back to Jack, her gun and a scanner pointed at the Blowfish.  Gwen was protecting a third member of the family; obviously the mother.  He could see her face the best, and she looked uncertain, as if she was trying to figure a way out of the situation without further bloodshed. 

It was too bad she didn’t know the Blowfish as well as Jack did, or else she would have known only taking the alien out would resolve anything, especially if the fish was wired.

“Would you?” the Blowfish went on, sniffing the girl as if she was some sort of delicacy.  “Won’t you?”

Jack took the shot.

The Blowfish’s brains spattered the tatty drapes behind it.

The girl began to wail, as Jack’s team turned to look in the direction of the shot.  Ianto stepped out from cover, taking his rightful place just behind Jack’s left shoulder.

Jack grinned. “Hey kids,” he greeted them, “did you miss us?”

 


End file.
